This invention concerns an underwater electrical connector using a single probe to provide multiple electrical connections. Each of the electrical connections are separately sealable in a dielectric bath chamber, which chambers are in fluid communication with the other chambers. The seals provide multiple wiping of the electrical contacts on the probe prior to making the electrical connection. This removes contamination from the probe in the high pressure sea water environment and maintains an uncontaminated environment in separate, sealed chambers for separately enclosing each of the electrical connections, made by the single male probe. The respective chambers have dielectric fluid communication with each other in the disconnected condition.
The inventor has been a leader and pioneer in use of flexible, fluid-filled bladders with self sealing ports to protect electrical contact surfaces from contamination in making electrical connections in underwater environments. The genesis of this major development in underseas electrical and optical connector technology is found in the inventor's U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,643,207; 4,085,993; and 4,606,603. These Patents teach the use of a flexible, fluid-filled chamber in a connector that makes connection in either high pressure or low pressure environments, which chambers provide fluid pressure equalization between a protective environment internal to the bladder and the outer high pressure or low pressure environment, such as high-pressure corosive seawater in the deep ocean where the connector has a primary, advantageous use. The electrical (or optical) pathway is completed by insertion of a contact carrying probe through a reclosable end seal integral with the bladder. This insertion can be made in the high pressure or low pressure environment. When the probe extends through the end or port seal, the barrier between the interior of the bladder and the outside environment results from the pressure of the end seal material against the probe. When the probe is withdrawn, the barrier must be maintained. Generally the environmental sealing relies on the compression of the end seal material to provide a sealing compression to close the opening both during electrical connections and during disconnections. The inventor has found that the environmental sealing cannot rely solely upon the compression of the sealed material, because the material "forgets to close", especially when mated to a probe for a long period of time in cold ocean water. This reluctance to close results in leakage of fluid from the interior of the bladder, and the leakage of outside water into the bladder. Since the connecting surfaces within the bladder in the form of sockets are contained within the common chamber formed by the bladder, entry of water into the bladder poses the risk of conductive path formation between multiple in line electrical connections.
A significant development stage in the progress of fluid-filled bladder technology was reached with the design of a coaxial connector having a long, sturdy male probe in a holder, which supported multiple electrical contacts. In addition, in the bladder the end seal operation was enhanced by the use of a stopper that is positioned in the port, sealing the port when there was no electrical connection. The stopper is pushed back by the entry of the probe to make an electrical connection, with the probe then passing through the port and maintaining the seal. In this development, the constricted, resilient opening of the port wipes the end of the stopper in its retracted movement, wipes the probe clean as it enters the chamber, and seals tight against the probe while it is in the electrically connected position. While the use of a stopper aids in maintaining the port seal around both the stopper and the inserted probe, there is still a problem with the probe causing irregularities on the respective surfaces of the probe and the port seal, allowing seawater to penetrate and interfere with the electrical connections made. This problem can escalate by irregularities on the probe, resulting from multiple contacts on the probe for making the multiple electrical connections with multiple electrical sockets in the chamber.
Accordingly, the invention laid out in the description to follow advances the fluid-filled bladder technology for submersible connectors by providing multiple electrical connections through the single contact of male and female connectors in a dielectric chamber having multiple inner wipers that wipe the outer surfaces of the respective stopper and probe, in making the electrical connection.
In addition, the present invention provides multiple, fluid innerconnecting, dielectric bath chambers, each of which encloses individual electrical connections of a plurality of electrical connections between contacts on a probe and sockets in the bladder.
The invention further provides internal dielectric fluid communication between the wiper chambers during disconnection of the connector.
Accordingly a principle objective of the described invention is to provide a new and improved underwater or submersible connector utilizing a dielectric fluid-filled bladder containing multiple electrical sockets for making an electrical connection with multiple contacts on a male probe, in which the probe is subjected to multiple wipings in making the electrical connection, and in the connected position the individual electrical connections are separately sealed in dielectric bath wiper chambers in the bladder.